


Tiny Adventures

by Lightning of Farosh (Medea_Nunc_Sum)



Series: Tiny Adventures [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Blood, Bunny Legend, Fairy Hyrule, Friendship, Gen, Giant Spiders, Hyrule Whump, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Magic, Minish - Freeform, Minish Four, Positive Hyrule Fic, Smart Hyrule, featuring an asshole of a wizzrobe, honey i shrunk the heroes, i took canon magic and made it d&d style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22315345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Medea_Nunc_Sum/pseuds/Lightning%20of%20Farosh
Summary: Do you ever just have a reallybadday? Not just abadday, but the kind of day you could have never prepared for because it just slings a haymaker directly at your face?Link, Hero of Legend, Slayer of Ganon, wielder of the Triforce of Courage, was having abadday.He was, at the moment, a rabbit. And, not just any rabbit, but apinkrabbit.Oh, Goddesses,he thought, looking up at the wizzrobe hovering above him. It was massive now, casting a chasm deep shadow across the grass. Pointed teeth glinted as it smiled, giggled, and vanished in a poof of blue-grey smoke.Not again.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule (Linked Universe), Four & Legend (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Series: Tiny Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654573
Comments: 28
Kudos: 384





	Tiny Adventures

**Author's Note:**

> this'll be a series of connected oneshots dedicated to the smallest of heroes

Do you ever just have a really _bad_ day? Not just a _bad_ day, but the kind of day you could have never prepared for because it just slings a haymaker directly at your face?

Link, Hero of Legend, Slayer of Ganon, wielder of the Triforce of Courage, was having a _bad_ day.

He was, at the moment, a rabbit. Not just any rabbit, but a pink rabbit.

 _Oh, Goddesses,_ he thought, looking up at the wizzrobe hovering above him. It was massive now, casting a chasm deep shadow across the grass. Pointed teeth glinted as it smiled, giggled, and vanished in a poof of blue-grey smoke.

_Not again._

oOo

Trying to get one person’s attention while also avoiding seven other heroes was a task Legend didn’t realise he’d ever have to be prepared for but, well. There he was; a bright pink rabbit trying to blend into the green shrubs and foliage of Four's time.

Legend pressed his ears against the back of his head and slunk around Wind’s gaze, dodging through the underbrush to where Hyrule was examining his sword. Everything was _bigger_ and _louder_ and all he wanted was to maybe, _maybe_ , see if the only magic user out of all of them knew what was going on and how to fix it.

No one seemed to notice him (a Triforce damned blessing in trying times) but as he got closer to Hyrule, Legend realized one terrible, unforgivable barrier:

He couldn't speak Hylian. And, unless he was also some animal whisperer, Hyrule wouldn't understand _rabbit_.

Sitting in the bushes, glowering at Hyrule's back, Legend pondered over his very few choices.

One, he could try to get Hyrule's attention and lead him into the bushes.

Two, just suck it up and get everyone's attention by revealing himself.

Three, suffer.

(He was leaning towards the last one, to be perfectly honest.)

Caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice Hyrule turn around to go searching through his pack and didn't see brown eyes widen as they caught sight of a bright pink rabbit doing its best to hide in the grass.

“Oh, hello there!”

Legend jumped at the hushed voice, heart lurching in his chest. He shot through the top of his hiding place, into the air, and fell back onto a bush.

Legs up, his eyes on what little sky was visible through the trees, Legend sighed as well as a rabbit could.

_Well. This is humiliating._

There was a muffled giggle above him. Twisting his head around, Legend tried to glare at Hyrule.

The boy had a hand over his mouth, eyes tearing up in mirth that only got worse at the look on the rabbit's face. “Here,” Hyrule managed, still chuckling, “let me help you.”

Legend huffed but didn't fight the hands that gripped his ribs, hoisting him up into careful arms. Hyrule brushed out his fur with gentle fingers, smoothing down the ruffles and picking out small leaves. His arms were warm, his touch soft, and—just this _once_ , mind you—Legend closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax.

“You know,” Hyrule said, words chosen carefully, tone kept like the flow of a creek—constant and smooth. “I used to hear fairy tales about how the Hero of Legend could turn into a pink rabbit.”

Legend froze.

“I never thought they'd be true.”

_Busted._

Trying to turn his head up to glare at Hyrule, Legend paused as a finger stroked from his forehead, over his skull, between his ears, and all the way down his back. Careful nails dragged through his fur—not scratching, but soothing an itch he didn't know he had.

Legend laid his head on Hyrule's forearm and sighed. There was a gentle, playful tug on one of his ears before the hands went back to petting.

_There were worse places to be._

“Hyrule! Legend! Let's get going!”

Legend snapped his eyes open and glanced up at the hero holding him. _Never mind._

Hyrule was looking back towards the camp, biting his lower lip. “Well,” he said, grinned sheepishly, and shrugged. “I mean, I can come up with something?”

_Oh, I am so **fucked**._

Making his way back into the camp, Legend-the-Rabbit in his arms, Hyrule had nothing to hide his new cargo so... _didn't_. He cradled the bright pink animal-that-wasn't in one arm, hoisted his pack over a shoulder with the other, and shrugged on a scabbard and shield dropping nothing (or _anyone_ ).

He trotted over, squeezed between Wind and Twilight, and grinned up at Time. “Sorry about that.”

Time nodded with a slight frown. He looked away from the trees for a moment to glanced the shorter hero over, turned his gaze back to the forest—and wheeled back to stare down at the bundle of pink in Hyrule's arms.

“What—”

“I found him,” Hyrule said, nodding back towards the bushes. “Over there. I think something might be wrong.”

Warriors leaned over, looking over Wild’s shoulder, and stared at the rabbit. “You think?” He drawled.

“Well,” Hyrule shrugged. “Rabbits aren't normally pink, right?” His attention turned to Four.

He stared at Legend with a frown. “No,” Four intoned, “they are not.”

“See?” Hyrule held Legend closer to his chest. “I figured I'd take him back to town and see what was wrong.”

Time hummed. His one good eye seemed to look straight past the fur and into a very Hylian soul. “Did you happen to see Legend?”

 _Please,_ Legend prayed to any goddess willing to listen. _Please, just strike me down. I don't know what I did this time; I probably deserve it. But, **please** , just put me out of my misery._

“Yes,” Hyrule said.

One eyebrow rose. “Did he say what, exactly, he was doing?”

“Uh... No,” He chose his words carefully and, yet, were nothing but the absolute truth. “He didn't say much of anything, actually.”

“Not even to _you_?” Twilight had guided Epona around and patted her cheek when she huffed over his shoulder. “Is he okay?”

 _No_ , Legend pressed his nose against Hyrule's arm and sniffed as fingers ran down his head, brushing over his ears. _This sucks and I'm going to hunt down that stupid wizzrobe and shove my fire rod straight up it's—_

“He looked fine,” Hyrule’s voice cut off his thought. “But he might just need some time.”

There were some mutters from the others. A few shrugs.

Time didn't look convinced. “If you're sure...

With a smile and a nod, Hyrule sounded confident even though his heart was pounding against Legend’s ear. “He'll be fine,” he said. “Probably.”

 _Probably?_! Legend shot a look up at Hyrule.

He gave him a 'well, what can you do?' shrug in response.

“All right,” Time sighed, shook his head, and picked Legend's pack off the forest floor. He held it out to Twilight. “Do you—?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Four led the way to Hyrule Town, the others falling into step behind him.

Hyrule dropped to the back of the group. It was enough to be out of earshot but not so far so he was lagging. “See?” He whispered, scratching Legend under the chin. “Everything's going to be _fine_.”

Huffing, Legend tucked his nose into the cress of Hyrule’s arm, curling closer to the steady warmth seeping out from the green and brown tunic. Rabbits don’t purr, but some part of him felt like it should be able to as fingers scratched behind his ears and dragged lines down his back.

Maybe Hyrule was right.

It couldn't be _that_ bad.

oOo

_No. Nope. This was worse. This was definitely worse._

Hyrule held Legend by the scruff of his neck, pinning him down to the table so he couldn't make a jump for the door, and was muttering under his breath. It _sounded_ like magic, but the words were thick and cold, making every hair in the room stand on end.

“ _Please_ stay still,” Hyrule's voice grew roughened by power and salted with desperation. “I _am_ trying but there's—”

Legend squealed as the spell crashed over him and bones ached with the desire to change. His spirit howled and raged against the ribbons tied around torso, keeping his form caged. They tightened, spiking up the back of his neck, digging in dripping, hungry claws into his nerves.

Hyrule's magic popped, and he sagged, letting go of Legend and stumbling against the table. Sweat beaded across his forehead, sticking his hair to his skin. His face was pale like a rising moon.

“I—” he panted, swallowed—“I don't think I can fix this.”

Shaking out the tingling out from his back feet, Legend tested out his limbs as he slowly got up. A faint throbbing hammered in the back of his skull, but the longer he stayed still, the faster it seemed to disappear.

Across from him, Hyrule dropped his head into his arms. For a few heartbeats, the only sound in the room was their uneven breathing.

Legend took one hop forward. Another. He pressed his forehead to the crown of Hyrule's head and closed his eyes.

A hand reached up, brushing over his side, pausing right before it reached the curve of his leg.

“I _will_ fix this,” Hyrule said, voice muffled by the table. “I _will_.”

 _I believe you,_ Legend thought as he pulled back, and rested on the table. He watched as Hyrule pushed himself up on shaking knees and reach for the bit of parchment he had been scribbling his notes on. Most of it was illegible: all jagged sigils and crooked handwriting. Legend hadn’t bothered to read it.

Hyrule looked over it one more time, muttered something under his breath, and slapped it down on the table. Legend squeaked when he was snatched up, cradled back in comfortable arms as they stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and—

“Is there a library?”

Four looked up from his stew, mouth full, and looked between Hyrule and Legend with wide eyes. He chewed, swallowed. “Uh—”

“Where is it?”

Four, not turning away from them and—looking more and more like a cornered animal by the second—pointed towards the inn doors. “Head north up the road, cross the river to the west, and it'll be the first building on the—”

Hyrule grabbed him by the shoulder of his multi-coloured tunic and _pulled_. “Too complicated,” he said, “Show me?”

Yelping, Four caught himself before falling out of his seat. “My, aren't _you_ bossy today?” He grumbled, looking longingly back at his lunch. It sat there innocently. Waiting. Four grabbed the bowl as he stood up. “Fine,” he said with a sigh, “but I'm taking this with me.”

The Hero fell away, leaving just Hyrule. He smiled, closing his eyes briefly in pleasure and relief. “Thank you!”

Four stared at him, blinked once, and hummed something that could have been acknowledgement. His gaze turned briefly to the rabbit.

Pressing his ears to the back of his head, Legend ducked down. _You and me both,_ he thought, partially grateful for the kid holding him, but was mostly terrified.

Hyrule didn't look back to make sure Four was following, but Legend peeked around his arm, ears perking up. He watched as the smallest of them grabbed his bowl and headed after them. The owner of the inn glanced up from the counter, a small smile on his face as he saw Hyrule and Legend.

It fell away when he noticed the kid holding a still half-full bowl of food.

“Hey! Kid! Kid!” He cried after them, getting to his feet. “You can't take that—!”

“Go! Go!” Four pushed past them, dodged around an elderly lady, and ran out the door. Hyrule chased after him, holding Legend close to his chest as he shouldered his way out onto the street.

Legend was pretty impressed. He didn't think he'd ever seen Four run that fast.

And not a single drop of stew was spilt.

oOo

Legend sat on a wide, empty table, a—now empty—bowl beside him, and watched as Hyrule and Four scurried through towering shelves. They brought stacks of books back each time they passed; some on animal anatomy, some he could tell were about magic, and others that were almost illegible. He scratched at his ear with a hind leg, watching as Hyrule carried a tome was almost as big as his chest across the room only to dump it with a _thunk_ next to the rabbit.

Right behind him, Four had a tower that was almost half as tall as he was and hefted it up with a grunt. “So,” he said, looking at the mix of covers around them. “What _exactly_ are you looking for?”

Hyrule tugged a book from the pile, pulled up a chair, and sat down. “Anything about reversing something to its original state,” he said.

“Reversal? So, like a time spell?”

“Something like that,” Hyrule scanned through the table of contents, grimaced, and shoved the book to the side to reach for another. “I tried to transfiguration him back to normal but I think it just hurt him.”

Legend huffed and pressed himself flat against the table.

Wincing, Hyrule reached out, patted his head, and mouthed a ' _sorry_ '.

Closing his eyes, Legend breathed out beneath the touch. He heard Four murmur something, leather sliding against wood, and sighed.

“What about dispelling magic?”

“That might work, can I—?”

“Yeah, here. See, it says—”

Their voices blended together, buzzing inside Legend's head and filling the rest of his body with cotton. Sunlight drifted through the windows of the library, some warmth falling across his back and helping him fall closer and closer into a doze. A kind finger would rub against his forehead every once in a while and he pushed up against it but otherwise refused to move.

Hands circled his torso, picking him off the table, and Legend found himself back in thin, but strong, arms once more. He blinked his eyes open and stared up at Hyrule's chin, watching as the other hero frowned. Reading something out of the book spread out in front of him, Hyrule pressed the flat of his palm to Legend's back.

“Okay,” he said, took a deep breath—

Legend caught Four's eye and froze, ears snapping up. _No, no, wait!_

Hyrule spoke the Word of Power and an overwhelming smell of citrus flooded the room. It popped the atmosphere, bubbled like a spring, and dripped down Legend's back.

He could feel it sink past his fur, past his bones as it looked and looked and looked—

Nothing happened.

Hyrule's knees hit the floor, and he sagged forward, curling his torso to protect the rabbit in his arms as he collapsed.

Wiggling, Legend wormed his way out of the lax grip. He glanced back at Hyrule and felt his heart drop to his stomach.

The other hero was laying with his cheek against the hard wood flooring, breath shallow, eyes still half opened but blank and shining like empty marbles. He stayed there, panting on the ground, and only looked over Legend when a paw rested against his cheek.

Hyrule clenched his jaw, rolled over so his back was to Legend, and curled into a ball. His fingers dug into his already messy hair, burying themselves so his nails could press into his scalp. “What am I doing _wrong_?”

Four kneeled beside him. “Nothing,” he said, placing a hand on Hyrule's shoulder. “Everything happened exactly as the book said it would.”

“Then why didn't it _work_?”

Looking down at Legend, Four frowned. “I don't know,” he said. “Perhaps he's just a normal rabbit?”

Legend pressed his ears to the back of his head and glowered. _Watch it, Shorty; I'm not afraid to chew a hole in your pack—_

“He's not,” Hyrule said, flopping onto his back. He pressed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes and groaned.

Hopping forward, Legend got up on his chest and settled there. _Not your fault_.

Fingers reached for him automatically, scratching under his chin and smoothed down the fur on his throat. “I just wish I knew what kind of magic this is,” Hyrule murmured. “I'm no expert, but it would give me a place to start, at least.”

Four perked up. “So,” he said, drawing out the word so it hovered between them. “What you're saying is that you need to be able to talk to him, right? Figure out what happened?”

“Yes, I—” Hyrule sat up, holding Legend to his chest so he wouldn't be knocked off.

“I know what to do!” Four and Hyrule chorused, stopped, and stared at each other.

Legend, half upside down, grunted. _Wonderful_ , he thought, staring at the ceiling. _Please let me go._

Hyrule didn't, but he turned Legend around so he was, instead, behind held like a cat with his paws over a shoulder, hind legs supported by an arm. He pressed his cheek against Hyrule's neck and did his best to fight the urge to fall asleep as a hand stroked down his back.

“I _can_ talk to animals,” Hyrule said, “But it takes magic—”

“No,” Four stopped him, “no more magic until you've rested.”

Hyrule sighed, his breath hot against Legend's fur. “I'm _fine_ ,” he said. “I have enough—”

“You almost passed out in front of me! You still can't get up!”

Patting his paws against Hyrule's shoulder blade before he could even try, Legend made a deep, gruff, rumbling sound in his throat to let the hero holding him know what he thought of _that_ idea.

Four continued, not noticing, his voice rising in the quiet library. “Do you have any idea what Legend would do to me if I let you do that without at least some rest and a magic potion?”

_You couldn't possibly imagine._

There was a pause. “No?” Hyrule said, hesitant.

“He'd make my life a living hell. So, since you look like you’re one foot in the grave already, we’re going to do it my way, got it?”

Legend was jostled as Hyrule shrugged, but he was shifted back to his comfortable perch not long after. Silence settled around them, heavy but not a burden. Sunlight drifted through the windows, catching on gold, brass, and silver embedded into leather book covers. It created a mosaic of knowledge.

“Think you can stand, yet?”

Hyrule made an odd noise on the back of his tongue. It vibrated through his throat and against Legend’s nose.

“I'm going to take that as a no.”

oOo

After a trek back to the inn and Legend watched Hyrule down a magic potion with a fierce, unamused glare, Four led them through the town, past a group of workers, and back into the woods. The trees seemed to lean in towards them, branches reaching out to catch on their tunics. They weren’t malicious; just curious.

Hyrule and Four ducked past them, heading past a small bit of water that was too big to be a puddle and too small to be a pond. A couple Octoroks were chased off with minimal effort, and Four stopped them in front of a stump that had a lightning shaped crack in the middle.

“Okay,” he said. “First of all; don't freak out. It's weird.”

Hyrule nodded. “Okay,” he said and waited.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him.

 _That's it?_ Wiggling his nose, Legend did his best to glance at Four.

“Really?” The small hero said. “You don't have any questions?”

Hyrule tilted his head to the side. “Am I supposed to?” He frowned, glanced down at Legend, and turned back to Four. “Do you _want_ me to ask questions?”

“Most people have them if I say that it's going to be weird.”

“Oh,” Hyrule said, leaned back on his heels, and hummed. “Well, is it dangerous?”

“No.”

He shrugged. “That's all I really need to know.”

 _Uh, no,_ Legend twisted, doing his best to watch Four. _I have questions, thank you **very** much._

Four shrugged and stepped up to the stump. He stood there, looking down at his feet—

And then he wasn't.

“Oh!” Hyrule reached out, waving his hand through the place Four had been, eyes wide. “Are you invisible?”

Legend squirmed and hands placed him down on the stump. He sniffed over the wood, finding a group of mushrooms hidden beneath the crack. Playful magic booped Legend’s nose and he sneezed.

“Not quite!”

They turned to a small opening in the stump's side and there, standing in the grass, was a lone, tiny, multi-coloured figure. He waved up at them, laughing with unbridled joy.

“Hello up there!” Four called.

Legend hopped down beside him, careful not to get too close just in case he knocked him over.

Hand on his hip, Four reached up to pat his flank. “Looks like you're bigger than me, now,” he said with a chuckle.

“What the ever loving _fuck_.”

Four blinked. “I— _wait_ —”

“Well,” Hyrule spoke up above them and they turned their heads to glance at them. “Do we need to be little?”

Shaking his head, Four looked at the stump and back up at the giant leaning over them. “The Picori are small, so it might be for the best,” he frowned. “I don't know if I can use the spell on you, though—”

“That's okay!” Hyrule said, straightening. He clasped his hands in front of him and bowed his head. “Give me a moment.”

They watched as pink and blue snaked up his arms, spinning across his skin like some thick, fog-like cocoon until he was engulfed and grew smaller and smaller—

There was the faint tinkle of chimes, the buzz of dragonfly wings, and Legend looked at a miniature Hylian. But, while Four had kept his features and looked like a small-ish version of himself, Hyrule had a set of clear insect-like wings that glimmered in the dim, forest light, a set of gently curling antennas, and emitted a pastel but bright pink glow.

_“What the fuck?!”_

Laughing, voice clinking like bells, Hyrule darted forward, back and forth, drifting more like a hummingbird than a butterfly. He wasn’t quite dwarfed by the rabbit, but it was close, and his hands felt tiny against rabbit cheeks. Legend closed his eyes as Hyrule pressed their foreheads together and sighed.

There was something about not being alone anymore that fizzed through his entire being. It huddled comfortably and strangely in his chest, but warmed the very essence of his spirit.

Legend never been good at emotions.

Except anger.

He was _fantastic_ at anger.

Hyrule pulled away, the pink glow pulsing around him. His smile was summer-like.

“I'd fight Ganon all over again for people like you,” Legend said without thinking. It came out of his mouth as small, embarrassing squeaks and huffs. _Thank Hylia._

Hyrule's face turned bright red.

Laughter burst from below and they both turned to Four. He was grinning up at Legend, a smug little smirk on his face. “You would, would you?”

Realisation slammed into Legend like he was being turned into a painting all over again. He wished he could turn into a painting, actually, and just stay in the woods to be washed away by the rain.

Yeah, that would do just fine.

Glancing up, he saw Hyrule with his face buried in his hands. The tips of his long, pointed ears were truing a striking dark pink.

“I hate you,” Legend told Four.

“I don't believe you.”

“I'm not afraid to sit on you.”

“ _Do it_. I _dare_ you.”

Fingers brushed over pink fur, turning Legend's attention back to Hyrule. His ears were still dark, and he had ducked his head a bit in embarrassment, but the smile had stayed. “If it helps,” he said, “I'd do the same for both of you.”

Legend huffed. “The sentiment is appreciated,” he said, “but if you could forget that I ever said anything that would be even better.”

“Not happening,” Four said, arms crossed over his chest.

Hyrule, the traitor, laughed, but he moved away and swooped towards Four. “This is amazing!” He flitted about the tiny Hylian, looking over Four like he was a new treasure to bundle up and hoard away. “You're so small!”

“Well, look at you!” Grinning, Four motioned to the blurred wings. “You can turn into a fairy!”

Legend cleared his throat, and they turned towards him. “As much as I would love to hear the two of you complement each other (“You would,” Four grumbled, grinning as Hyrule laughed.) I,” he said, placing a paw to his chest, “am not like this _willingly_.”

“Right,” Four said and started walking down a tiny path hidden in the grass. It led from the stump and vanished further into the forest. “Have either of you ever heard of the Picori?”

Hyrule dropped, landing on Legend's back. “No,” he said, “but there's a bit of time between our lands, isn't there?”

“Why are _you_ riding me?” Legend looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed. “You have _wings_.”

“You're soft,” Hyrule told him, laying down to snuggle into warm fur, “and bigger. _And_ I carried you around for most of the day. So you owe me.”

Legend grumbled but kept hopping forward

Four ignored both of them. “They're a small race who hides things for people to find—like rupees in the grass.”

“That's who does it?”

“You can find rupees in grass?”

Legend and Four turned to stare at Hyrule. He ducked down, looking as if he was trying to hide in the surrounding pink.

Four shook his head. “Yes,” he told Legend. “Along with pots and other things.”

“And you think they could help?”

Shrugging, Four turned his attention back to the path. “Even if they can't turn you back, they'd probably know where we could start looking.”

Legend huffed. “It's better than nothing,” he grumbled.

A tiny hand patted between his ears.

They continued on in silence for more, soaking in the surrounding woods. Roots became bridges, puddles had become into lakes, and bugs that had been only an inconvenience before scurried in the surrounding grass like a pack of uninterested wolves.

“So,” Four said, breaking the silence after a while. He was grinning up at Legend with a spark of mischief in his eyes. “A rabbit, huh?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

oOo

They made their way through a hollow log, over a puddle (Hyrule tugged Four up to Legend's back so they could hop over it), and headed around fallen acorns and pinecones.

“They're a bit excitable,” Four said, a sheepish smile on his face as he tugged a group of leaves out of the way, revealing three guided vines that had spun into archways. “So you might—”

“ _Pico picori_!”

Legend jerked up as a small mouse-like creature scrambled down from a bush that looked more like a tree from this height. It wore a tall, red cap and had a green tunic that looked as though it was made of leaves. It scrambled over the ground and leapt at Four.

The small hero laughed, catching the creature and was swarmed seconds later by a crowd of the chattering race as they called out in their own language. Some pressed happy kisses to Four's cheeks and even more patted his arms and shoulders.

Hyrule fluttered up, hovering next to Legend's head. “They're cute,” he whispered.

 _They were_.

One of the so called Picori caught sight of Hyrule flying and pointed, calling out as it bounced up and down. The group left Four, crowding around beneath the fairy-Hylian.

Legend stepped away to get out of their way, tucking closer to the wall.

“Um—”

“It's okay!” Four shouted up to Hyrule. “They're just excited to see a fairy; there's not a lot in these woods.”

“Oh!” Looking down over the crowd, Hyrule lowered to the ground, landed, and folded his wings against his back. Raising a hand and offering a tentative smile, he waved. “Hi?”

There was an explosion of noise and Legend watched as gentle hands brushed against Hyrule's arms, took his hands, and guided him further into the crowd. There was polite confusion on his face, but when he noticed the worried eyes watching him, Hyrule just smiled.

“Come on,” Four said, motioning for his rabbit-shaped friend to follow. “We should go get some Jabber Nuts—they'll help.”

Glancing back towards Hyrule—who was now being guided to sit on the ground so fingers could brush through his hair and straighten his collar—Legend hesitated.

“He'll be fine,” Four said, not even bothering to hide his grin. “They're only curious.”

One of the Picori handed Hyrule a flower just as tall as it was.

Humming in neither agreement nor disagreement, Legend turned to follow Four up the path towards a tall, wooden barrel. Despite his small size, he was still too big for the door, so he waited outside as Four rushed in and came back out with a strange, bouncing nut-like plant in his hand.

“You're an animal,” he said, “so I have no idea how this will affect you—”

“Oh, _thanks_.”

“—but if it works, you'll be able to understand the Minish language.”

Legend grunted as one of the nuts was placed at his feet. He watched it bounce for a moment before leaning down and sniffing it.

The Jabber Nut didn't smell like anything except dirt. _Well, what's the worst that could happen?_ Legend thought as he ate it.

They waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

“I suppose there's only one way to find out if it worked,” Four mused, turning on his heel with the other nut under one arm and lead Legend back through the small streets of the little village.

Hyrule was where they had left him; sitting on the forest floor, surrounded by Picori. They had made a small, braided necklace of stems and had placed it on his hair like a crown.

“Link!” One of them cried once they saw Four. There was a chorus from the others. “Link, your fairy-friend is very nice!”

What had once been nothing more than complete gibberish before was now Hylian. Legend blinked. _Guess the nut worked._ He watched as Four navigated the crowd and placed the nut in Hyrule's hands.

There was a soft, murmured conversation, and the crowd cheered as Hyrule bit into it and chewed.

The Picori leaned closer, waiting—

“Um, hello, again—” Hyrule said and yelped as one jumped forward to hug him around the waist.

“Hello! Hello!” They cried and there was a chorus of the greeting from the others. “Welcome to Minish Village!”

oOo

“I'm sorry,” an elder Picori named Gentari said, leaning over his staff and looking up at Legend with wizened, dark eyes. He dropped his head and sighed. “This magic is beyond our capabilities.”

Legend sighed, his ears drooping. Fingers brushed against his cheek and he looked over at Hyrule whose wide, bright eyes were soft.

“That's okay,” Four said, “do you know if anyone _can_ help?”

Gentari leaned on his staff and rested his chin in his hand. “Perhaps not here,” he said and turned to look up at Hyrule. “You said that not even a dispel worked?”

“Nor did a transfiguration spell to just turn him back,” Hyrule told the elder Minish. “I'm starting to think it's more curse-like in nature rather than a spell.”

“Hmm,” Gentari looked them over. “Have you done a ritual to determine the nature of the magic?”

Hyrule muttered something under his breath.

“What?” Four spoke up.

“I said,” Hyrule spoke up, raising his voice. There was a faint blush across his cheeks, “I don't have the supplies and I don't have the money to get them!” He folded his arms over his chest and huffed, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Legend huffed and blew air at him, sending the fairy spinning. “I have _plenty_ of rupees,” he grumbled. “Just _say_ something!”

“I'm not going to _ask_ you for money!”

“Why not?”

“Because it's _rude_!”

Legend pressed his nose to Hyrule's stomach, pushing forward until the small hero was pinned against the wall. “It's not _rude_ ,” his voice rumbled in what could have been a growl if it hadn't come out of a rabbit’s throat, “to ask for _help_.”

Hyrule stared at him, eyes wide and glistening in the soft light of the Picori home. He turned away first, hiding his face.

“What do you need for the ritual?”

Hands tightened against fur as Hyrule tensed. He breathed in and, bit by bit, relaxed as he exhaled.

“Hyrule?”

“I'm thinking,” he said, eyes focused on the far wall, brow furrowed.

Gentari moved to stand next to Four. His staff tapped against the floor. “Will you need thyme?”

“Yes,” Hyrule said automatically, “and Watercress. A clear quartz crystal. Some aventurine, some citrine.”

Legend had no idea what _any_ of those were.

Nodding, Gentari waited beside Legend. “All things we have,” he told them. “What about chalk?”

“No,” Hyrule grumbled, pushing at the rabbit nose pinning him until he was, _finally_ , released. “If it's not used perfectly it just messes everything up—and the old mages have told me _very_ clearly that my magic circles need a _lot_ of work.”

Gentari bowed his head, heading off to ask another one of the Picori to search for the needed supplies, leaving them alone.

“How much magic do you know?” Four spoke up, sitting down in one of the small chairs.

Hyrule shrugged. “I know bits and pieces, mostly,” he admitted. “After I—after my second adventure, I got curious and went looking for more of the mages to see if one of them would be willing to teach me.”

Laying down to take up less space, Legend watched him flit back and forth. “It's just a surprise,” he said. “We've only seen you stick to the same spells, after all.”

“Some are more helpful than others,” Hyrule shrugged and focused on Legend with a steely look. “But I told you I would figure this out and I _will_.”

A warm, bright flower was blooming in his chest. Legend bowed his head. “I know.”

The door opened, and a Picori walked through, stumbling over a bouquet of cut thyme. They faltered in the silence, held out their bundle to Four, and fled with hushed, scurrying footsteps.

They watched the small creature go, looked at each other—

Hyrule giggled first. The other two burst into laughter as the heaviness in the air evaporated; their mirth chased it away. It drifted off after a few seconds, but the weight didn’t return to the comfortable atmosphere they’d been left with.

Legend snorted, laid his head on his paws, and watched as Four and Hyrule sorted through the herb, separating it into three different piles.

Another of the Picori came in holding dripping watercress and was swiftly followed by two more carrying the crystal, a dark viridian stone, and another that was a pale, warm yellow.

Legend watched them and lurched back when a handful of plants were shoved under his nose.

“Eat,” Hyrule said.

He stared at the small, pointed leaves. “Are you serious?”

Hyrule narrowed his eyes. “Eat the damn thyme, Hero of Legend,” he ordered.

“Oh, he cursed!” Four called, lining up the gems on the table. “You're in trouble, rabbit boy.”

Legend shot him a glare and turned back to Hyrule. He sniffed at the plant and grimaced. “What will it do?”

“Nothing for the ritual,” Hyrule said, “Thyme is a cleansing plant; it'll help bring the real problem to the surface.”

He held it out again and Legend sighed, but took it, nibbling his way down the stems.

Leaving him to it, Hyrule gathered the other two bundles and placed them in small, clay pots. A murmured word later, and they were smouldering; white smoke drifting upwards to fill the room. Four took each one to an opposite wall and stood by as Hyrule braided the watercress into three different bands and wrapped them around each gemstone.

Legend finished the herb, grimacing at the bitter taste left on his tongue, and watched as Hyrule placed each stone on the floor to create a triangle wide enough for a rabbit.

“I gotta say,” Four said as Legend was led into it, “this is the strangest thing I've ever seen.”

“Speak for yourself,” Legend muttered as fairy hands pushed against his sides, guiding him to where they wanted. He settled back down as Hyrule walked to the point of the triangle and sat, cross legged, on the floor.

He pressed his fingers against the surface of the crystal and closed his eyes, mouth moving around words Legend couldn't hear. The dim, pink aura grew brighter, pulsing until it hid Hyrule's features. Smog swirled inside the crystal, shifting through the shades of a sunrise. 

The other gems grew brighter and watercress sizzled, blackening as it burned. It didn't smell like smoke or fire or burning woodland. Instead, it smelled like a thunderstorm after midnight, with the night cold and the rain clinging to every surface. The ghost of ozone burned against the back of Legend’s nose; a promise that it would return and a threat that it never left.

Something slid through rabbit veins and rabbit arteries, running through his blood as if it had always belonged there but was just different enough that it didn't quite blend in. It circled each of his ribs, brushed across his shoulders, and danced at the tips of his ears.

A dark, biting bitterness lashed like a whip from the base of his skull and the magic circled the shadow, nipping at its heels and veil until—

The world snapped into focus, everything brighter and colder, the smoke having fled to the ceiling and hovering to watch. Each of the gemstones was blackened and cracked but Legend's attention focused on Hyrule.

His eyes were a deep, blood soaked pink, sweat dripping down his face, teeth bared in a grimace. As Legend watched, the expression and light faded, leaving only his friend behind.

Hyrule slumped forward, bracing his hands against his knees, and panted.

Inching closer, Legend rested his chin on the ground and looked up at him.

“I'm okay,” Hyrule said, still breathless.

They both jerked as a bowl of water thunked beside them and Four sat down. “That looked intense,” he said.

“I felt it,” Legend admitted, “the curse and the magic.”

Hyrule flopped backwards and spread out his arms. His chest rose and fell with each harsh breath. “Definitely a curse,” he said. “And it's a dark one—I don't think I've seen anything like it but...” Hyrule paused.

“'But'?”

“It,” he swallowed, “It felt _permanent_.”

Legend felt his stomach drop and gritted his teeth. “So I'm stuck like this?”

Hyrule was already shaking his head before he finished. “No,” he blurted, the words tumbling from his lips. “Nothing like that I—” his voice stumbled and became replaced by a sigh.

Waiting until he had regained his thoughts, Legend and Four glanced at each other before turning their attention back to Hyrule.

“Magic has its own rules,” he said at last. “A permanent spell means that the spell has to exist, it doesn't matter _where_.”

“What are you saying?” Legend frowned.

Four had his hands folded in his lap and was staring down at them as he spoke up. “The magic can be removed, it just has to be put somewhere else, right?”

Groaning, Hyrule pressed his hands against his face and dragged his palms down. “Yes,” he said, “but it's not that simple because whatever I transfer it to needs to have the capability of _holding_ it or the magic will lash out and do who knows what to fulfil its purpose.”

Four hummed, still thinking. “So you're talking about something that would still turn him into a rabbit but only when he chose?”

“I would rather,” Legend told Four with a thorn darting out at every word, “swallow a whole bottle of Wild's Goron Spice than do _this_ —” he nodded down at his paws—“ever again.”

Four rolled his eyes. “I mean, you could toss it into a river for all I care; I'm just making an example.”

“Your example is _shit_.”

“Sorry,” Four sniffed, “I don't take criticisms from _bunnies_.”

Legend bristled. “I'm not a _bunny_.”

“Sure,” Rolling his eyes, Four turned to Hyrule, “hey, doesn't...” the words trailed off, drifting up to join the smoke on the ceiling.

Hyrule had his arms clasped over his stomach, face turned to the side, eyes closed. The flush to his cheeks had faded away, leaving him pale and tired and strikingly young. He didn't seem bothered by their noise and slept on.

“Look at that,” Legend said, turning a smug look to the other small hero. “You bored him to sleep.”

Four smacked the rabbit on the nose.

They left the boy to his slumber, gathering up the used materials and trying to fan out most of the smoke by the time Gentari came back. Black gems crumbled even beneath careful touches and Four was forced to sweep up the ashes into the pots to be dumped out later.

“Is he all right?” The Picori elder said, using his staff to lean over Hyrule.

“I think so,” Four kept his voice quiet. “He used quite a bit of magic today.”

Gentari hummed. “And did you find what you were looking for?”

“Sort of; it just led to more questions, though.”

“Answers often do.”

Legend rested beside Hyrule, laid his head down on his paws, and watched the other hero turn on his side with a sleepy mumble and curled towards the heat next to him. His eyes fluttered open and traced the line of a pink leg, following it up to a rabbit face.

“Go back to sleep,” Legend said, voice soft.

Hyrule huffed and closed his eyes. “You're not the boss of me,” he grumbled but drifted off again.

oOo

They woke him up a few hours later, and he sat, a bowl of freshly chopped fruit in his lap. He and Four shared it as Legend grumpily nibbled on a stalk of something green and flavourless.

 _More of a reason to get rid of this damn curse_ , he grumped and shuddered at the thought of being stuck eating nothing but plain vegetables and fruit for the rest of his life.

Gentari sat across from them, his own dinner in hand, and was nodding along to Hyrule’s words.

“—something that could contain it would work best, but there are very few materials that could do that without enchantment,” he said. “And I wouldn't really want anyone to just stumble upon it.”

“Yes,” Gentari said, “I agree.” He hummed under his breath and frowned. “There are magic crystals in the woods, they catch and hold the elements but, if you were to find a clean one that hadn't been claimed...”

“That would work,” Hyrule said, batting away Four's greedy fingers as they tried to swipe another slice of strawberry. “I'd like to test it, but we don't have much of a choice—hey!”

Four grinned around a stolen bit of fruit and wiggled his sticky, juice covered fingers.

Gentari watched them with a small, amused smile. “Link knows where the crystals are; I'm sure he'd be happy to lead you to them.”

“Sure,” Four said, mumbling around his mouthful of food before swallowing. “It's not too far.” He wiped his hands on his tunic and got to his feet. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be done with Legend's pouting.”

“I'm sorry? Are _you_ stuck as a rabbit?”

Hyrule shoved the rest of his fruit in his mouth and set the bowl to the side, dodging around his friends as he got up. “Thank you for dinner,” he said to Gentari.

“Oh, you are _quite_ welcome,” the Picori elder said, reaching out to cup Hyrule's hands. “Please, be safe out there.”

“We will,” he promised and elbowed Legend and Four to their feet.

The Picori were still about, laughing as their streets were aglow with buzzing fireflies. They waved as their guests left, calling out good wishes until the group ducked through the arches and pushed their way back into the woods.

“Wait!” A small voice called behind them and they turned. One of the small beings ran up, a strangely shaped stone in her hands tied to a bit of twine. They offered it to Legend with a smile. “For you, Mr Rabbit!”

He stared.

Four elbowed Legend in the side. “ _Don't be rude_ ,” he hissed.

Dropping, Legend let the Picori slide the odd necklace over his head and ears. It was light against his throat and a pale green that stood out against his pink fur. “Thank you,” he said, not knowing what else to say.

The Picori didn't seem to mind and waved, running back towards their village.

Four leaned over, grinning. “That's a kinstone,” he said. “It's one half of a whole and if you match it with its counterpart something good happens.”

 _Something good, huh?_ Legend shook his head and nodded towards the pond. “Shall we?”

oOo

The storm hit hard and fast while they were still making their way through the woods. Four yelped, jumping out of the way of a raindrop and scrambling for some cover as Hyrule jerked back and forth, dodging what he could. They found a small bit of shelter underneath a large fern-shaped plant, wide leaves acting as a makeshift umbrella.

Legend wiggled his nose as a drop landed on it and tucked back further, huddled against the branches as dirt turned to mud and small streams filled the pathways hidden in the grass.

“It doesn't look like it’ll let up any time soon,” Four said, looking up at the sky.

Legend didn't bother; it was too dark to see anything, anyway. “How far until we get to the magic crystals?”

“Probably a few more hours of walking, give or take,” Four pulled back into their makeshift shelter and shivered, rubbing his arms as a cool breeze snuck through their makeshift shelter.

Hyrule shook out his wings, sending tiny droplets everywhere, and folded them against his back. “We can't move in this weather—”

“Well,” Legend said, looking him over. “We _could_ if one of you grew bigger again.”

“Can't,” Four told him with a shrug. “I have to use the stumps.”

They both turned to look at Hyrule. He flushed. “I'm, uh, out of magic potions and don't have enough for the spell.”

Legend rolled his eyes. “Of course you are,” he muttered and laid his head down to watch as the leaves unfurled to let small waterfalls go.

“Just a few more hours,” Sitting down beside him, Hyrule rested against Legend's side. “And then we'll have you back to normal.”

“Think of it as a dungeon,” plopping down beside Hyrule, Four leaned back into damp but warm fur. “Only the puzzle is really big.”

“And we're _really_ small?”

“Yeah!”

Legend rolled his eyes but fought the smile that threatened to ruin his prickly reputation. They were like sweetened cocoa; warm and comforting and almost too much.

Fingers tugged the tip of his ear and he turned only to see the two of them grinning at him. Four stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows raised. Beside him, Hyrule had clasped his hands and was grinning.

“You two are terrible people,” Legend said. “And after this I never want to see either of you again.”

“Aww,” Four smirked, “you don't mean that! I mean, just look at Hyrule's face!”

Legend _refused_. He narrowed his eyes.

“You're going to make him cry!”

“Get those crocodile tears away from me.”

Hyrule burst into laughter and pressed the side of his face against Legend's ribs. He had curled up so his knees were almost pressed against his chest.

Leaning over him, Four rested his arms on Hyrule's shoulder. “We all know you're a big softy at heart; no need to hide it.”

Sniffing imperiously, Legend lifted his head as high as he could without jostling either of them. “How _dare_ you,” he said, trying to impersonate a noble to the best of his ability. “This is clearly a slander towards my person.”

“Sure thing, _Mr Rabbit_.”

Legend groaned and put his head back down. “I will have no honour left after this,” he bemoaned.

“Hylia,” Hyrule said with a snort, “you're so _dramatic_.”

“Why, thank you; I try.”

A calm, still silence settled between them as the rain created a drum beat against the earth. It was a lullaby that threatened to lull Legend to sleep and he fought to keep his eyes open.

“You know,” Hyrule spoke up, his voice quiet enough that it was almost swallowed by the storm. “I won't tell any of the others. About any of you.”

“Hear hear,” Four said. He was still leaning against the fairy, but his eyes were closed. “What happens in Tiny Land stays in Tiny Land.”

Legend put his head back down, tucked his nose under a paw, and hummed in the back of his throat. There were two drowsy ones that answered him as he closed his eyes.

 _Just until the rain stopped,_ he promised himself.

The next time he opened his eyes, the rain _had_ stopped but golden light was spilling through the trees as the sun rose.

“ _Damn it_!”

Hyrule, who had curled around Four during the night, jerked into wakefulness. His hair was more of a mess than usual, sticking up round his head like a strange, brown cloud. “What—”

He squawked and ducked as Four jolted upright, drawing his sword and swinging it towards the sudden sound. The blade—thankfully—passed overhead as Hyrule pressed himself flat against the ground, chest heaving, and stared up at the underside of the leaves with wide eyes.

“Oh!” Four dropped the blade and patted the boy-turned-fairy down to check for any injuries. “Oh, goddesses, are you all right?!”

Hyrule lifted one hand and gave him a thumbs up. “Perfect,” he croaked out. “Just give me a second.”

Scowling, Four smacked Legend's hide. “Don't do that!”

“I didn't know you'd almost _decapitate_ someone,” Legend huffed, standing up to stretch.

Four got up and stretched out his shoulders before reaching down to help Hyrule up out of the dirt. “What got you yelling, anyway?”

“Wanted to see how fast your reaction time was,” Legend drawled, hopping out from underneath the leaves and shook away the last of his drowsiness. He sat back on his hind legs, stretching up to see if he could figure out how high the sun had gotten but couldn't make anything out through the trees.

Damp dirt stuck against his feet and there were still glistening droplets against curled leaves. He watched as Hyrule, still yawning, flew over to one, lifted it, and sipped some rainwater. Four followed him up, scrambling up a staircase of spiralling mushrooms growing up the side of the tree to look down the trail they were following.

“There's some berry bushes ahead for breakfast,” he called down to them, “and, if we make good time, we should be at the crystal grove before noon—”

“If we're lucky and don't get held up anymore,” Legend shot back. He could make out Four's blonde hair against the moss and mushroom caps as he jumped back down.

“Are you calling me short?”

Hyrule, trying to comb out his hair with his fingers, snorted.

“Yes,” Legend said. “You take twenty steps to one of my hops; you're basically a snail.”

Four landed on a stone and slid back down to the grass. “So?” He said, a smirk growing on his face. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I figured we'd just leave you behind,” Legend told him, “unless you have a better idea.”

“You don't know the way.”

“Sacrifices must be made,” Legend said mournfully.

Four rolled his eyes and huffed. “Are you going to carry me or not?”

Looking smug, Legend lowered himself to the ground. “Only because you asked so nicely.”

“ _Asshole_ ,” Four grumbled as he crawled up.

They both looked up to see Hyrule. He was hovering off to the side—hands folded in front of his chest—and was looking between the Hylian and rabbit.

“Yes, fine,” Legend sighed. “You too. Come on.”

Hyrule clapped his hands and landed behind Four. “Thank you!” He chirped.

“Yeah, yeah,” Legend stood up and hopped down the trail they had been following the night before. “Where am I going?”

Four gave him directions as they passed hollow tree trunks, tall mushrooms, and pools of water. They picked some berries off a couple of bushes and blue bled into the sky until the sun was beating back what was left of the night storm.

Legend was careful not to buck either of his passengers off, keeping up a steady pace but not so slow they would be jerked around and lose their grip.

 _A saddle or something,_ he thought, _for the future? It would be easier—_

Almost stumbling to a stop, he wished he could glare at his own brain. _Fuck you_ , Legend snapped, _this is **never** happening again._

Hyrule shifted at something Four had said, murmuring something that blended in with the winding, light birdsong in the trees.

 _I've gotten soft_.

A different, traitorous voice rose from the back of his mind as he ducked underneath low-hanging branches.

 _Is that so bad?_ It said.

Four laughed and the sound mixed with the pounding rush of his heart and the sound of his paws against the earth.

 _No_ , Legend thought. “Big red and white mushrooms,” he said out loud. “Which way now?”

Four rested his hands between the big, floppy ears and glanced at their surroundings. “Left,” he said after a moment. “There'll be a tall, white tree that looks like it has eyes carved on it and the grove will be just beyond it.”

“Tall white tree with creepy eyes,” Legend said, turning left. “Got it.”

A squirrel holding an acorn paused to watch them pass, and the forest continued on around them. Insects buzzed, swarming over new puddles and darting out of the way as birds soared down, picking out the worms that hadn't squirmed back into their hiding places.

He hadn't gotten far before he saw the white bark with its jagged, black lines carved into the shapes of eyes. It had heavy, full branches and looked out of place amongst the brown bark of the others.

Legend hopped past it and suppressed a shudder.

It felt like it was watching him but, when he turned to look, there was no sign any of the eyes had moved.

“Here,” Four said, tugging on one of his ears to get him to stop. “See? That burrow there.”

It was the only thing in the clearing besides a smattering of swaying wildflowers. Legend moved closer, his hops careful and slow as his ears pointed up, listening for any sign of danger. There was the wind in the trees and faint birdsong, but nothing else.

“I don't like this,” Hyrule murmured.

Legend agreed, but kept quiet. He pressed low to the ground and slunk forward. There were some stones around the odd burrow-like structure, probably to mark where it was, but that yawning darkness stared back at them, daring them to come closer.

“Hold on,” Four said, standing up and bracing his hands on the back of Legend's head for balance. He hopped down once they had stopped moving, pushing past grass to one of the rocks and clambered up to the top.

Hyrule fluttered upward, hovering in the middle of the grove to monitor the tree line.

Frowning, Four peeked past the entrance, looking down into the dark. “I don't think Legend will fit,” he said, “but it looks like it gets wider further down--”

Legend hopped forward and ducked his head down, examining the dirt tunnel. “It’s possible.”

“It'll be a tight squeeze,” Four walked down the tunnel and frowned. “Either of you have a torch?”

“You mean,” Legend drawled, “besides the literal _glowing_ fairy?”

They looked back at Hyrule who shrugged. “Can't help it,” he said.

“Okay, yeah, that works.” Four said, glancing back into the darkness. “We'll both go first then and then Legend so if he gets stuck we can pull him through or push him back out.”

“It'll be like some weird, reverse birth,” Hyrule said, fluttering past them into the cave.

Legend grimaced. “Ugh, why did you say it like that?”

“Am I wrong?”

“ _Yes_. Yes you are.”

Four ignored both of them and used his sword to cut through some roots that had crept through the ceiling until they were trimmed down. The pale, pink glow coming off Hyrule created odd shadows along the walls as they worked their way down and into an odd, wider area. There was another, larger hole leading further underground, twisting away into darkness but they left it be.

“Okay,” Four called up to the circle of daylight. “Come on down.”

Legend peeked over the side, pressed his ears to his head, and nudged forward. He used his back legs to push himself forward, worming his way down and was so close to the end when his shoulders stopped.

“Uh—”

Four crossed his arms and watched him with raised eyebrows as he squirmed. Hyrule blinked beside him, looking more curious than anything.

Legend scowled. “What?”

“Are you stuck?”

He tried to push forward and managed to work his way further down. Dirt fell around him, catching on his whiskers and making him flinch. “Just a little,” Legend grumbled. “If I—”

Bracing his feet against the ground, Legend kicked out, jerking forward and getting his head past the opening, his shoulders, and— _finally_ —the rest of his body. Flopping down in the small cavern, he huffed. “Maybe not the best idea.”

“Maybe not,” Four said but brushed some dirt out of Legend's fur. “We'll have to dig it out more before leaving.”

Hyrule had already moved forward, peering down the second tunnel. “This one is definitely wide enough,” he said. “And there's something at the bottom—”

Something glinted, turning pink for a heart stopping millisecond and lunging out of the shadows.

“Look out!” Legend jumped to his feet, jerking forward and almost knocking Four over. He watched as Hyrule scrambled back, eight massive hairy legs crashing down around him as his wings fluttered.

The tarantula hissed as it struck, fangs shining in the dim cavern, black body towering above the fairy-boy trapped underneath its form.

“ _Hyrule_!”

The soft, pink glow was swallowed by swooping, hungry shadows as something soft and wet made a sickening squelching sound.

A scream of rage and agony pierced through the darkness. Scuttling legs and desperate flapping wings echoed across the walls, throwing off any sense of direction any of the heroes would have.

Legend stumbled in the dark, unable to see anything except faint flashes of fairy light. He knocked into something and almost smacked out with a paw before recognising the harsh, panting breaths of Four and the pale, multi-coloured glow of the Four Sword. It wasn’t bright enough to see by and Legend cursed his body and cursed the gods and cursed that damn fucking wizzrobe that started all of this.

There was no brief flash of pink, leaving them with nothing but the faint sound of something being dragged across the ground and fading, gurgling pants.

“Fuck this,” Four cursed under his breath. Metal clinked and something crackled—

He held up a red lantern, the small flame spreading out just enough light that they could see by.

Hyrule and the tarantula were gone, only faint gouges in the dirt marking their path downwards.

“I hate spiders,” Four said with feeling, stepping forward to head down the tunnel.

“Yeah,” Legend followed, ducking to avoid the ceiling. “Me too,”

The floor of the next cavern was covered in thin, sticky web. It arched up the walls, glimmering from faint moisture. There were carcasses of things that had dared to venture down; a couple insects, what looked like a small bird, and something round and jagged covered so completely Legend couldn’t make it out.

In the middle of the room, blood oozing from the wound in his stomach, Hyrule had braced his sword across his knees. It was managing to—just barely—keep the fangs away from his flesh. The pink glow had faded almost entirely from his skin, pulsing weakly and like some frantic, dying lighthouse.

“Wait!” Four cried as Legend jumped forward, but the rabbit barrelled through, heavy enough to drag most of the web along with him.

Scrambling back, the tarantula hissed, lifting two of its front legs and bared dripping fangs. It pressed up to the wall and watched Legend with glimmering eyes.

Hyrule, lying on the ground, gasped and panted. There was web around his legs and across his wings, sticking them together. Blood stained the front of his tunic, a blossom of death across his chest and stomach. Legend could do nothing as the Magical Sword fell to the side as the fingers holding it jerked open and closed. 

A desperate gurgle bubbled up Hyrule’s throat and his spine arched off the floor, eyes rolling back.

“He needs a potion!” Legend cried back towards Four who was making his way through the semi-cleared path and turned toward the unmoving spider.

“Yes! Thank you! I didn’t notice!”

The tarantula inched to the side.

Legend lowered his head and matched it step for step. He had no sharp fangs, no curled claws. _Why couldn’t I have been a fucking cat? Or a rat? Literally **anything** else?_

There was a faint burst of swirling green light from Hyrule.

Fangs and legs lunged forward.

“ _Fuck you_ ,” Legend snarled, spinning around and lashing out with his hind feet. They hit something soft and squishy and he heard the tarantula slam into the wall with a harsh squeal.

He turned, trying to see where it had landed, and was jerked to a stop. Thick web had wrapped around his left foreleg and Legend pulled and pulled and _pulled_ —

It didn't let go.

He was stuck.

 _Shit_.

Four was still working his way across the river of broken web, sword in one hand, lantern in the other. His teeth were bared, his eyes were narrowed, and shadows seemed to cling to his features.

There was a grunt to his left and Legend swivelled his head around.

Hyrule had grabbed his blade with tremulous hands and was trying to work it between the web wrapped around his legs. The wound in his stomach had closed just _enough_ (even though it still oozed red and black) but his face was twisted by agony and the pink had faded to just a barely there glimmer.

He wanted his sword.

He _wanted_ his fire rod.

Legend jerked and bucked, trying to free his paw and yelped as two blades pierced the back of his leg. He kicked out again, knocking the tarantula back, but something blazed through muscles, inching from his calf to his thigh.

“Oh, shit. Oh, _fuck_ ,” he wheezed, trying to balance himself on three legs. His weight swayed sideways, and he put his hind leg down to keep himself from tumbling into Hyrule.

His bones branched into lightning, striking up his spine into the back of his skull. 

Legend's vision swam, spinning and twisting into some warped version of every nightmare he had ever faced. They grinned at him from the shadows; a macabre audience to his failure.

 _Downed by a spider_ , the twins laughed at him, _how far you have fallen, boy_.

“Go die in a hole,” he gasped.

There was a rasping, choked chuckle in front of him and Legend blinked through the past to see Hyrule half curled and kneeling before him. “Not... nice,” he managed. “But... rather not...”

The Magical Sword was in one hand, sawing through the web wrapped around Legend's leg. Four's lantern sat beside to their left, its owner gone.

_Where—_

Steel cut through a crackling, snapping exoskeleton and Legend turned to look.

Four held his sword in front of him, dark gore splattered across the blade. He had cornered the tarantula against the wall, jabbing forward and dancing out of the way. The other seven— _six_ , Legend corrected himself as Four cut through another—legs scrambled back and up the webbed wall.

The Magical Sword sliced through the web and Hyrule jerked, stumbling to his feet. He gripped the pommel of his blade with both hands, rubies starting to glow.

Jerking back, Four got of reach of the tarantula, surveying each of the beady, black eyes as it worked its way higher and higher. He pulled his arm back and watched it. Something flashed across his expression; it was cold. It was _calculating_.

He threw the Four Sword, and it spun like a multi-coloured, glowing baton, arching through the darkness in shades of blue, red, green, and violet.

It sunk, hilt deep, into the head of the tarantula.

“ ** _BURN_**!” Hyrule howled and thrust his sword into the web. Magic blazed out from the steel, roaring like a dragon as it consumed all that it touched.

Legend flinched back, closing his eyes as fire arched over his fur—

And left behind nothing but a kind, kiss of hearth-like warmth. He opened his eyes and watched as the web shrank and shrivelled, flames eating it and the trapped corpses.

Something clattered to the ground, landing in front a patch of glowing, pale crystals that had been revealed now that there was nothing daring enough to hide them away.

Caught in its death throes, the tarantula squealed as fire licked up its sides, eating away at its husk until it fell, like a meteor, at Four's feet.

The tiny hero ignored the burning corpse and grabbed his sword by the hilt, wrenching it out of the dying creature.

Six legs jerked and shuddered, curling in—

And stilled.

Legend stared at it for another few thunderous heartbeats.

In front of him, Hyrule groaned and collapsed to his knees. The only thing holding him up was his white knuckled grip on his sword. He rested his forehead against the biggest ruby on the hilt and breathed through gritted teeth.

Four ran over, sheathing his blade and reached out to ease the death grip on the Magical Sword. Legend could only watch, leg throbbing, as he guided Hyrule onto his back.

Heat radiated off his flesh and the blade, making the air shimmer.

The magical fire had consumed all the webbing including what had been wrapped around fairy wings. Thin, vein-like lines through the insect-like appendages shifted colours like glowing embers, turning red and orange and yellow from the flickering, still alive fire spell crackling under the surface of Hyrule's skin.

Four dug through his pack, fishing out two vials. One was filled with the crimson red of health, the other with the toxic green of magic. Popping off the cork of the crimson one, he held it over Hyrule’s head. “Open wide,” Four said with false cheer.

Hyrule obeyed and half of the bottle was dripped carefully down his throat. The trickle paused every time he so much as breathed wrong, but there was no panicked choking.

It was kind of a win, at least.

Four took what was left, held the bottle over Hyrule’s torn open stomach, and hesitated. “Brace yourself,” he said and dumped it across the wound before anyone could stop him.

Hyrule jerked, his eyes rolling back, mouth opening in a silent scream as the magic hissed and sizzled when it touched his blood. The two reds looked black as they swirled, mixing in the small light of the lantern. Flesh knitted back together bit by bit, working its way to the surface as Legend watched.

(That was probably worse. He didn't care.)

“I'm _fine_ ,” he snapped, “hardly did anything during that fight, anyway.”

“Shut up.”

Both Legend and Four turned to stare at Hyrule. He had a venomous glare on his face, eyes flashing with the flames just beneath the surface. Bracing his hand against the ground, the boy-turned-fairy forced himself to sit up.

Hyrule winced but continued to stare at Legend through narrowed, flashing eyes. “I haven't met many people,” he said, “and maybe I'm not the brightest person in any room, but right now it's _you_ that look like an idiot.”

Four lifted his hands and pointed over his shoulder towards the glowing crystals. “I'm, uh, gonna—”

He fled.

Legend didn't care, his eyes narrowed and focused on the figure sitting before him. “And what, _exactly_ ,” he hissed, sounding more snake than rabbit, “are you calling me an idiot for?” Sitting back on his hind legs, he towered over Hyrule and motioned down at his furred body. “I'm just a stupid fucking rabbit—”

“And I'm just a stupid, fucking kid!” Hyrule cut him off. “So are you! So is he!” Throwing a hand out, he motioned to where Four was leaning over something that had landed on the floor. “We're all just stupid fucking kids who have no idea what we're doing but someone gave us a sword and expected us to save _everyone_.”

Legend looked away. He closed his eyes.

A voice drifted from the past. It snuck through the rocks and settled like blood on the dirt.

_Take my sword and shield and **listen**._

“Some of us will never stop being stupid kids,” Hyrule said, but his voice had gone soft. “And that's okay, because we're still learning whether it's fighting with other people—”

Legend looked back at him and saw a small, sad smile on Hyrule's face.

“—or how to be a _rabbit_.”

Lying down, Legend stuck his injured leg out behind him and sighed. “You're gonna put Time out of business talking like that.”

Hyrule snorted and reached up, making grabby hands towards his rabbit-shaped brother. “He'd love that,” he said. “Help me up?”

“I dunno; you called me an idiot.”

“Yeah, but you're my _favourite_ idiot.”

Legend snorted and nodded towards Four, “what about him?”

“Excuse you!” Four cried. “I am _perfect_ in _every_ way!”

Hyrule nodded sagely, opening and closing his hands. “He's right,” he said, “now, _come here_.”

Huffing, Legend lowered his head and felt fingers tangle in the fur of his cheeks, holding on as he lifted. Hyrule pressed their noses together and whispered a word of power against pink.

Magic ate at the venom hovering in Legend's veins and sewed broken skin back together. The numbness in his back leg faded and he, gingerly, placed his weight on his paw.

It stayed steady.

“Can you fly?”

Hyrule groaned. “I don’t _want_ to,” he said, sprawled over Legend’s face. “I deserve a nap.”

“Not just yet,” Four said, popping up beside them, he held something in his hands. It was round on one end, the other side jagged. “I think I found a match for your kinstone.”

“My—” Legend remembered the weight around his neck. He’d gotten used to it during the journey through the woods and had almost forgotten. Hyrule moved to the side, still leaning against him as Four worked the twine over Legend’s head.

Placing both pieces side by side, Four looked up at them. “You push in one side and I’ll do the other. Ready?”

Legend nodded and pressed his nose to the edge.

They pushed the kinstones together.

_Maybe something good will happen._

Warm, white light sparked at the edges of the crack, snaking through the centre of the two pieces. It fused them together and lifted the stone off the ground.

Legend watched as it spun between them, the green becoming brighter and brighter as it twisted. It become a shade of sea foam, of mint, and lighted until it was colourless.

A magic crystal landed on the floor. It was round and wide with a curling swirl branching off the top like a blossoming seed.

Hyrule reached out, brushing his fingers against the surface. “Yes,” he said, and turned to grin up at Legend. “That’ll do.”

oOo

“You’re doing it wrong!”

“Keep your hands to yourself!”

Legend watched as Hyrule slapped Four’s fingers away from his braided bit of rope. It glimmered with tiny beads, each one with a small sigil carved across the surface. The boys were back to their normal size, sitting on the grass by the cracked tree stump by the Minish Village.

Hyrule slid the magic crystal into place, murmuring a word so one end fused to the other so it would never fall off. “Got it!” He said, holding it up.

“Lemme see—” Four reached for the necklace, crawling over Hyrule to look at it.

“ _Geddoff me you monkey_ —”

Legend thumped his foot against the ground and they froze, hand pressed against Hyrule's face, foot underneath Four's stomach. He huffed.

“Right, right,” Hyrule said as they straightened themselves out. His tunic was still cut down the middle, blood staining the dark fabric.

Focusing on the necklace, Legend kept his head up as the twine was slipped over his head. The crystal settled against his chest; a light but comfortable weight.

“Ready?”

He nodded.

Hyrule clasped his hands together and started a chant that was made of ancient magic and kind, wolfish love.

Legend jerked as the dark, hungry veil at the back of his skull jerked and scrambled as fairy pink canines closed around it, trapping it in predator jaws. He shuddered as the beast of light pulled at the tendrils, ripping it away from his bones and his soul, down his throat, into his ribs, and out—

And out—

_And out—_

He gasped with Hylian lungs and opened Hylian eyes to stare at the two, grinning figures across from him. “Well,” Legend said, holding out his arms. “How do I look?”

They laughed and lunged forward, tackling him to the ground. Voices bubbled around him, the words unrecognisable as they chattered. Legend stayed on his back, staring up at the bright, blue sky and closed his eyes.

 _Thank you,_ he sent to anyone who was listening.

(He could have sworn, somewhere in the distance, that he heard the faint rumble of thunder.)


End file.
